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inhabitants of the earth, then, and ever fince. It is not faid fome individuals of every family, but families collectively are fpoken of, which includes all the branches of each family, however fince multiplied, fcattered, or extinct: and the whole collection of families is comprehended in the words. It is not said, may be bleffed, fhall have an opportunity of enjoying bleffings, fhall be bleffed if they do this or that; the language is pofitive without reftrictions or limitations, shall be blessed. What is meant by the bleffedness here promised we shall not now particularly enquire, but barely obferve, that furely none will fay that either endless mifery, or total annihilation can be the thing spoken of, or that any person can be actually bleffed any further than he is made happy. That fome of the families of the earth have been totally cut off in their fins, that part of all the families of the earth have died in the fame ftate none can deny. If fuch lapfed creatures never be restored, how can the promise be established in its full extent ?

Fearing I may have made this letter already too long, I haften to conclude, and will ftudy greater brevity in my next. I am, DEAR SIR, Your's in fincerity and truth,

Jan. 13, 1798.

R. W.

Letter from a CLERGYMAN in the Country.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

Nov. 15th, 1797.

IAM happy to inform you, that (through the good hand of God upon us) Mrs. was fafely delivered of a daughter on Tuesday morning, about three o'clock. Her labour was remarkably fhort, and even during the time it lafted, by no means fevere-she was not really ill more than a quarter of an hour, and bleffed be God hath fince been, and is now in a very comfortable state. The child is alfo well. We bring our little ones into the world children of wrath, but cannot make them children of grace-this is the alone work of God, whofe province it is to make dry bones live. All that we can do is to give them good inftruction, and water that instruction with our prayers that God would render it effectual, and bless the rifing branches round about our table, and make them as trees of his own planting, that they may fpring up and grow as the lign aloes, or as willows

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by the water-courfes-that our children which are his by nature, may be fons and daughters of the Lord Almighty by grace. O may his richest spiritual bleffings reft on yours and mine! May the dew of heaven fall on our little hill of Gilboa, and may our children be his children by adoption and grace-and if children, then certainly heirs of God and joint neirs with Jefus Chrift.

My opinion of Mr. Winchester's fentiments remain the fame. I fee no argument of his fufficiently ftrong to overturn my former creed refpecting the eternity of future punishment. What our bleifed Lord faid of Judas, "that it were good for him if he had never been born," is fo very forcible, that (at prefent) I think he would not have used fuch a ftrong expreffion was Judas to have been restored, even after millions of years, to the joys of his falvation. I thall, however (God willing) reconfider the fubject, as I think it an important one, and it would rejoice my heart to be affured Mr. W. is right. The Lectures you have kindly fent I fhall read with great attention, as I have, and fhall again his other book, and at the fame time fhall not fail to apply to the Fountain of all wifdom and knowledge, imploring him, that if I am right, to keep me from error, and if wrong, to teach me the truth. One thing, however, you agree with me in, that the belief or difbelief of Mr. W's tenets refpecting future punishments is not neceffary to falvation. The truth that is faving I hope through God's mercy I have. I may truly fay the Lord hath made my darknefs to be light and that he hath fhined into my heart to give me the knowledge of himself in the face of Jefus Chrift. It is my earnest prayer that the great Head of the Church would keep me always under his divine teachings and make me an able minifter of the New Teftament, that I may be an humble inftrument in his hands of turning many from Satan unto him; that the Lord may honour my labours in giving me fouls for my hire, and feals for my cure, which may be my crown of rejoicing in the great day. Many feals he hath (bleffed be his name) already given to my miniftry. The number hath much increased fince you was here, and is ftill increasing notwithstanding all oppofition. The Lord will work and none fhall hinder him. As it was faid of old, "the blood of the martyrs is the feed of the Church, and fo I may say of this place and neighbourhood; the more oppofition the more the Gofpel thrives. Several have lately joined the poor despised Whitfieldites as we are called, and among them two of

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the most inveterate enemies to the cross of Chrift. I could write more but my paper is nearly filled-fo muft conclude with my best love to your wife, and I am in the bonds of the Gospel your very fince friend and brother.

Quotation from the Arminian Magazine.

MR. VIDLER,

No. 26, Pitfield Street, Hoxton.

BEING informed that you fome time ago, heard a prea cher at the New Chapel, charge the Univerfalifts with fubftituting hell torments for falvation, inftead of the blood of Christ. Give me leave to turn the charge upon themfelves by referring you to the Arminian Magazine, for June 1784, No. 78, page 328-4. Title, God's, univer'fal love-the Father of Spirits-the Redeemer of man'kind-the lover of fouls, refufes his firft graces to none; enlightens every man that comes into the world, and prevents all the loft fons of Adam, by his divine infpiration; but when they deliberately reject his attractions, thut 'their eyes to his illuminations and refift all his internal motions; he withdraws the falutary operations as ufelefs, and proper only to harden their hearts, and augment their condemnation. He never abandons the creatures until they abandon him; and because he cannot do violence to 'their freedom without deftroying their natures; he、 never ' acts upon lapfed intelligences by omnipotent, irrefiftible decrees. For this reafon it is, that he allows corrupt reprobate minds, to follow the deliberate choice and voluntary bent of their own hearts, till they die impenitent, knowing that it is impoffible to reclaim them, therwife than by 'infernal pains and hell torments. This is the terrible and beautiful fyftem of nature and grace which the Predeftinarians have turned into particular preferences, preterition, and fatal'iftic decrees, which render vice inevitable, and God the author of of our eternal mifery.

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Sep. 9th. 1796.

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I am, &c. yours,

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J. CUE.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS ON THE TENDENCY OF DEISM.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Univerfalifi's Mifcellany.

By inferting the following thoughts on Deifm, if you think them worthy of a place in your Mifcellany, you will much oblige,

No. 14, Little Ruffel Street,
Auguft 19th, 1797.

Your's, &c.

J. H. PRINCE.

TT is not my intention in this little Effay, to enter into a defence of revealed religion, nor to combat the many fophiftical arguments that have been adduced by ancient and modern Deifts, to overturn the whole fabric of Christianity; the many able defences already extant, by writers poffeffed of far greater abilities than myfelf, having rendered fuch an attempt in my opinion needlefs. I fhall only make fome brief reflections on the nature of deifm, and the character and conduct of the modern Deift: that being a fubject on which the majority of thofe writers have but very flightly, if at all touched.

Infidelity and immorality are nearly allied together, of which we have occular demonftration in the lives of those who have imbibed principles of this nature; though I grant there are exceptions of individuals, who can boast of their morality, and tell us (what indeed is very true,)" that it is the fair fruit which fprings from the tree of natural religion," and alfo (what is not true,) that revealed religion cannot produce better." When principles of this nature are diffeminated, it becomes us to fhew their fallacy and expofe them to the world, to hold them up as the objects of our abhorrence and rejection, on account of their direct influence when received, to fap the foundation of virtueto undermine true religion, and confequently to dishonour God. The man who fteps forward on this arduous important talk, has reafon to expect, and most certainly will have in a greater or lefs degree, the bleffings of the Almighty: who will own fuch works to the reftraining, if not to the total abolition or extermination of fuch fentiments, which we cannot expect, from the state of the world and nature of things, fince there always have been, and perhaps always will be, fome enemies to the moft refined fyf

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tems, and fome broachers of the most abfurd fentiments; the former of which, perhaps, is wifely permitted by the Deity to keep in exercife the talents of his people who always have been, and I truft always will be, ready to give a reafon of the hope that is within them," and to draw forth thofe evidences of the authenticity of their religion, which never would have appeared had not that religion been called into question: and the latter to try the faith of the Christian, who is in great danger, if not rooted and grounded in, and well acquainted with, the evidence of religion, of being drawn away by infidelity which is permitted to exift, that the trial of their faith might be more precious than that of gold, and which, if it ftands the trial, enfures to the Christian a great recompence of reward. Infidelity would foon overspread our land, and completely envelope in worfe than Egyptian darknefs, were it not for thofe publications which are of the greateft utility poffible, and which under God are the means of retarding its progrefs, and at least ferve as an antidote to the fatal poifon of it.

If we take but a fuperficial view of natural and revealed religion, we shall foon difcover the advantages of the latter, over the former. Natural religion does indeed lay a moral obligation upon man, and teaches him his duty to man; but what natural religion does imperfectly, revealed religion does masterly. The duties of the fecond table, or in other words the duties we owe to our neighbour, are all comprised in that comprehenfive faying of Chrift, Thou shalt Ive thy neighbour as thyself. So that we may fay there is more to be learnt from a few words of that book, fo defpifed by modern infidels, than from the whole bak of nature. This might be fufficient of itself, to fhew the fuperiority of revelation over natural religon, for as a late elegant writer in defence of revelation oblerves, "man has need to be taught his duty in the most direct manner poffible, for his time on earth is fhort, and if he must be obliged to read the great book of nature, or creation through, and understand it well in order to learn his duty to God and man, few men will ever be found to have fufficient time, abilities, or means to attain this knowledge. And if a man fhould spend a thufand ages in the ftudy of the creation, he could find out nothing in practical religion, more than he might learn in an hour, by reading in the bible; hence the inconceivable advantage of

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